"That just doesn't sound good to me," Planning Commissioner Robin-Eve Jasper said in September. She was reacting to a phrase in the county's presentation on the Western Loudoun Recreation Complex, which predicted "minimal drawdown" in neighboring wells, as reported by the Blue Ridge Leader. Three weeks later, on Oct. 8, the Planning Commission voted 5-2 to recommend approval. That vote did not settle the water question. It moved it to the Board of Supervisors.

Most of the plan is no longer in dispute. The 142-acre county site at 36716 Main Street lies west of town, south of Route 7 and northeast of Franklin Park. It is slated for a 96,000-square-foot recreation center with a 37.5-meter competition pool, a leisure pool, a gym, an indoor running track and a teen area. Outside there would be eight lighted athletic fields plus pickleball, tennis and basketball courts. Loudoun Now also lists a dog park, a skate park, trails and a one-acre site reserved for a library that would eventually replace the Purcellville Library. The live questions now are about wells, septic and how far a lighted field shows against a rural night sky.

Why a County Pool Needs Its Own Water Supply

The complex sits outside town limits partly because of an earlier fight over where it would go. The county first proposed county-owned Fields Farm, inside Purcellville. Town leaders objected, and the county withdrew its town application after the town Planning Commission declined to recommend support. In February 2023, supervisors voted to pursue buying about 143 acres from JK Moving founder Chuck Kuhn for $6.9 million. The parcel was assessed at $1.8 million at the time.

Building outside the town meant planning around the town's utilities. County representatives told the commission that a study found Purcellville's existing system is not adequate to serve the complex. In a separate decision covered by the Loudoun Times-Mirror, county staff and the Finance Committee chose on-site systems. Their reasoning was to avoid costly upgrades to the town system, delays and a redesign. A future connection to Purcellville utilities remains possible. Purcellville's March 6, 2026 update to Council said the county would pursue its own water while it evaluated septic against town sewer upgrades.

Three Wells, a Tank and Trucked-In Pool Water

The Blue Ridge Leader's report on the September session laid out how a regional aquatics center would run without public water or sewer:

• Supply: three on-site wells
• Average demand: about 15,000 gallons a day, roughly 9,000 for the recreation center and 6,000 for the park
• Pool water: routine top-off water is counted in the center's daily demand. The first fill and any complete refill would come by truck.
• Peak storage: a 40,000-gallon domestic water tank
• Irrigation and firefighting: two ponds and captured stormwater
• Wastewater: a conventional septic drain field

The trucked water is the key design choice. The county kept its largest one-time water demand off the aquifer entirely, which leaves the steady daily draw as the number to watch.

The Numbers Commissioners Weighed

The daily draw got the most scrutiny. Commissioners asked whether three wells could supply the complex, and also what sustained pumping would mean for the private wells around it. Another large groundwater user, the Valley Commerce Center, has also been approved nearby.

The test ran at more than twice the complex's expected average. That is why staff said it supported confidence in the supply. Commissioners responded with two questions the test could not fully answer. One was cumulative withdrawals across the area. The other was whether the study captured what happens when the Valley Commerce Center is pumping at the same time. Dale Polen Myers, who serves at large, asked about peak demand and the reliance on septic. Eric Combs of the Ashburn district asked for the underlying studies. Catoctin Commissioner Mark Miller said he was confident in the water work. The commission voted 9-0 to bring the project back for another work session.

What the October Vote Added

The plan that returned on Oct. 8 had three changes aimed at neighbors, as described by Loudoun Now. The county added 3.7 acres of tree conservation in the northeast corner to protect steep slopes and wetlands. It added a 10-foot berm along the east end as a buffer from nearby homes. Commissioners also approved a condition requiring the county to monitor nearby wells and replace them if needed.

The well condition turns the September worry into a commitment the county would have to keep. Miller's district includes the park property, and he won the commission's support for the recommendation. "I have learned a tremendous amount about hydrology in the last two meetings," he said, according to Loudoun Now. "I do believe the water will be adequate." Combs voted no and, in the same Loudoun Now report, argued the project's scale did not fit the county's rural policies: "I just think this is too big of a pin to put in the map at this location." Polen Myers also voted no, even after winning the well-monitoring condition. Jasper and James Banks were absent.

Two other concerns from the September session go to the Board alongside the water question:

1. Lighting. The fields would use 5,700-Kelvin shielded LED fixtures. Staff said spill and glare at the property lines would stay below zoning limits. Jasper's concern was that the lights would still be visible from homes against a dark rural sky, and commissioners asked to compare them with the lighting conditions at Franklin Park.
2. Traffic. The entrance would be on West Main Street with planned turn lanes, and there would be no vehicle access through Country Club Drive, county representatives told the commission. The Town of Purcellville asked that the traffic analysis cover all town intersections and account for the planned Route 7/Route 690 interchange. County work on that interchange began this fall. The Route 690 bridge replacement is not expected to reach substantial completion until winter 2029.

Why the Price Tag Grew

The water plan also helps explain why the cost has climbed. At the May 2024 kickoff, reported by the Loudoun Times-Mirror, the plan called for an 83,000-square-foot building and up to 10 fields. The budget was $73.8 million, with an opening forecast for fall 2028. A March 10, 2026 county staff memo put the total at $261,072,000. That was $108,286,000 more than the $152,786,000 in the adopted FY 2026 capital plan, and the memo addressed the gap in the FY 2027 proposed plan. Staff gave four reasons for the increase: the building grew from 83,000 to 96,000 square feet, more site work was needed, prices rose, and the original estimates had left out or understated construction and site costs. The $261 million figure is the latest official estimate. It is not a final number.

What Comes Next, and When

The application, LEGI-2025-0001, now goes to the Board of Supervisors. As of this writing, no Board hearing date has been set. The county held a public information meeting on groundwater, lighting, roads and schedule on Oct. 19 at Loudoun Valley High School. Comments still go to the project team and the Board through the online form at loudoun.gov/WesternLoudounRecreation, or by phone at 703-737-8624.

The timeline depends on which document you read. The county's Oct. 7 notice has construction starting in spring 2027 and finishing in summer 2030. The Loudoun Times-Mirror's Oct. 8 coverage cited an opening in late 2029. The reserved library differs too: the county lists 40,000 square feet, and Loudoun Now reported 45,000.

Until it opens, indoor swimming in western Loudoun stays where it is now. In an earlier report on the project, Loudoun Now described the Round Hill Aquatic Center as the area's only pool at the time. It had four 25-yard lanes, a depth of 4.5 feet and a capacity of 54, and the Woodgrove and Loudoun Valley swim teams shared it. Teams looking for more space went to the 10-lane pools at Claude Moore, Dulles South and Leesburg's Ida Lee. The 37.5-meter pool in the plan is meant to close that gap.

If you live near Main Street or Franklin Park and want to talk through what a project like this could mean for your property, Listed by Leslie Group is happy to help. Request a complimentary home consultation, and we'll keep you posted as the Board sets its date.